1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to aids for sports training, and more particularly to a training brace for a golfer to learn proper golf club swing technique. Still more particularly the present invention relates to a brace for the following arm of a golfer which teaches the golfer proper golf club swing technique by imposing control over movement of the golfer's arm at the elbow at the top of the swing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many people enjoy the sport of golf for its relaxing out-of-doors qualities. Each of these people dream of perfecting their game. One of the critical factors that determines game performance is golf club swing (hereinafter referred to simply as "swing"). This is because the quality of the swing determines the distance and direction that the golf ball will take upon being addressed (that is, struck) by the club. Standards of swing technique are now well established, which, if followed, would improve the game of many players. In the art of golf, the standard swing is one in which the leading arm (the left arm in the case of right-hand players) remains straight until contact with the golf ball has been made by the club, thereafter the leading arm flexes at the elbow as the swing carries forward under the generated momentum of the swing. The other arm, the following arm, is bent at 90 degrees at the top of the swing. When the following arm is at 90 degrees at the top of the swing, it anatomically follows that the leading arm is straight.
Unfortunately, this swing technique is not easily learned. Swing technique must be both understood and practiced by the player before mastery is achieved. Unfortunately, many golf enthusiasts are not gifted with an ability to easily and quickly master swing technique. These people must either spend a great amount of time in practice, or simply ignore their inadequacy and play the game with an admitted "sloppy" swing. Yet, proper swing can be learned by any golfer, given the right environment to learn.
In the prior art, C. B. Martin in U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,277, dated Dec. 31, 1968, addressed the issue of perfecting swing technique by the utilization of a golfer's brace. Martin proposed a brace having a torso component and an arm component, the arm component being a length adjustable elongate structure adapted to engage primarily the upper arm of the golfer via an arm band. The arm component is hingably connected with the torso component allowing two degrees of freedom of movement. Stops on the torso component regulate possible movement of the arm component in order to place the golfer's arm in a best angle for optimally addressing the golf ball with the club. Martin also addresses the issue of the leading arm of the golfer remaining straight before and during address of the golf ball. Martin indicates that this is achieved by the arm band sliding along the golfer's arm. When the golfer begins his or her swing, the arm band will have slid along the golfer's arm to a position encircling the elbow, thereby preventing flexing of the golfer's leading arm. But, when address of the ball has been accomplished, the arm band will have slid to a position just above the elbow, now permitting the golfer's arm to flex.
Martin's device suffers from a cumbersome structure that is not well suited to its aim. This is primarily because the arm component remains permanently rigid so that control of elbow flexing must be accommodated by slidable movement of an arm band with respect to the elbow. Under normal conditions the arm band must snuggly fit about the upper arm of the golfer, in which case the arm band cannot be expected to easily slide along the arm, resulting in impaired swing movement. Further, the arm band cannot be expected to truly prevent flexing at the elbow, as the mechanical forces generated by the muscles of the golfer require a brace having a far larger lever arm to overcome than that which the width of the arm band would provide. Still further, the arm band would not be expected to provide a mechanically rigid structure that would truly prevent flexing at the elbow. Still further, Martin's drawing depicts a device in which a portion of the arm component extends beyond the elbow at all times, a feature sure to impede arm flexing even when permitted. Therefore, while Martin may sincerely wish to address the issue of elbow flexing of the golfer's arm before and during golf ball addressment, Martin's solution is not sufficiently practical to afford a true solution to the issue.
In a co-pending parent application, a golf swing brace is disclosed composed of a two-part arm brace consisting of an upper arm brace and a forearm brace. The upper arm and forearm braces are mutually connected by a pivot. Arm bands attach the upper arm and forearm braces to the respective portions of the golfer's leading arm (left arm in the case of a right handed golfer). The upper arm and forearm braces are oriented so that the pivot is axially in line with the golfer's elbow. Thus, if the pivot is locked, the golfer cannot bend his or her leading arm at the elbow, but if the pivot is not locked, the golfer is able to freely bend his or her leading arm at the elbow. The pivot is selectively lockable, with selective locking of the pivot being accomplished by movement of a stop pin with respect to an abutment, where the stop pin is connected with the forearm brace and the abutment is connected with the upper arm brace. A sensor and actuator cooperate to move the stop pin at an appropriate juncture so that the golfer may simulate a "professional" swing in which the elbow cannot bend until the ball has been addressed, and is then able to freely bend thereafter.
The above described devices follow traditional thinking concerning the correction of flawed swing technique, in which concentration of correction is confined to keeping the leading arm elbow straight all during the swing until the golf ball has been struck. However, many popular golf training professionals are beginning to transfer their focus from the leading arm to the following arm. This new thinking is based upon the philosophy that the following arm elbow (the right arm elbow for right handed golfers, the left arm elbow for left handed golfers) should never break past 90 degrees in the act of readying for a full swing. In a properly executed golf swing, the leading arm elbow (the elbow of the left arm for right handed golfers) should not be bent if the following arm elbow bends 90 degrees at the top of the golf swing. Thus, this new thinking is to get the following arm elbow to bend at an optimum 90 degrees at the top of the golf swing, then the leading arm elbow will be automatically straight because of the anatomics that are at work.
Accordingly, what is needed is a golf swing brace which regulates elbow bending of the following arm elbow so that the angle of bend is an optimum 90 degrees at the top of the golf swing, thus, as a consequence, causing the leading arm elbow to be straight before and during the golf swing.